The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1887-02-19
TOILERS OF THE SEA.
Divers Work Upon the Cargo of
the Steamship Oregon.
How Men Toll Ut Twenty Fathsms Depth
aud Are Sometimes Paralyssd-The
Condition Of the Badly-shat-
tered vesssl-Its Cargos'
Condition.

On the 18th of March, 1886, some
thing poked hole in the bottom of the
steamship Oregon, land she sank to
the bottom of the sea-" about eighteen
miles away from Fire Island Inlet, in
water 120 feet deep. on hard surface
of coarse sand and gravel. The oc-
currence is SO recent that most persons
will remember what an excitement was
occasioned by it. No lives were lost,
but the survivors made the armament
echo with remarks about their trunks,
merchants here and abroad joined in
lamentations over the cargo; the vast
army of foreign noblemen on this side
Of the water, expecting remlttances,
with singular unanimity bcwailed the
loss of large sums, and got renewed
credit for weeks on the strength of
their misfortune; and the person who
had not at least lost an important let
ter in the mails that went down with
the Oregon was quite out of fashion.
Then speculation ran riot as to the
cause Of the disaster. Witnesses of
the highest credibility were certain that
no vessel was any where in sight Of the
Oregon when she received the shock
that sent her to the bottom. Other
witnesses Of equally unquestionable We
racity saw vessels enough to have made q
fine naval parade. There were those
who were certain that she was sunk by
an explosion in her hold, and others
who deemed it beyond question that q
submarine vessel, possibly an Irish
torpedo-boat, had given her the fatal
thrust. The excitement increased un-
til. after much delay, the wreckers
established the facts that she had Leen
sunk by collision with some unknown
vessel, and that it would be practicable
to save q great deal of her cargo.
Then, suddenly, the popular interest in
her died away, and though the divers
were at work on her all summer, little
moro was heard of their progress. and
seemingly little was cared about il.
even by the remittance-expecting noble
men, who had meanwhile made other
arrangements.
Mr.. i. j. M. Merritt, Jr.. son OF
Captain Merritt, of the Coast Wrecking
Company, by whom the salvage was
effected, narrating tie story of the
divers work ON the Oregon the other
day, said:
1--WE keep the fires banked in our
wrecking steamers the year around,
ready to start any time, at moments
notice, for any point on the coast where
our services may be required. So when
news of the wreck of the Oregon. wa.
received, and we were called upon, a
we were Immediately, we were off X
her on the same day to examine how
she lay, take soundings, and pick ~
what floating cargo and mail we could
On March the 18th We started out II
90 10 work. but the weather was sucf
that we could not do any thing unit
the goth, when we began.
1.-The Oregon lay in twenty fathom'
Of water. There is popular idea tha
the agitation of the sea by storms il
quite q shallow effect. But it doesn'
felt sixty feet down. where the Oregon
lay. as our divers were fully satisfied
and though it was possible to see dimly
outside the hull. the darkness in thu
hold was perfect. so that the Difficult
ties under which the divers WORKED
were great Nevertheless, it did no
take them long to find out that thu
Oregon was . very badly shattered YES
sell. When she Owed to the bottom
she careened over to the side on which
she had received her injury, and drov'
her nose down 90 deep In the sand tina
It was held there, while the power o
tho v,evaa broko hor in two close Il